I was using a broader definition of lynching to mean any punishment meted out by popular opinion rather than proper processes. I certainly was not using the term literally, and I am fully aware of the horrible historical background of lynching. I certainly did not mean to trivialize this history.
Thanks for responding. I do try to assume that people are not intentionally being trivializing when using words with racist origins. I just think it's especially important to be aware of it in a discussion where people are weighing the speech/actions of privileged people versus their effects on oppressed groups.
